All you need to know about cotton, part 1: industrial agriculture

Cotton is the most popular natural fiber worldwide. It is used in a massive variety of items, from dollar bills to jeans, but many people are still unaware of the reality behind it, the issues with industrial agriculture, and the situation of organic cotton. This series of articles will reveal everything you need to know about cotton and reject the most common misconceptions about this beloved raw material.

A little cotton history... Let’s go back to 5,000 years ago

Cotton history is pretty long. People have cultivated cotton for at least 5,000 years, initially in several isolated locations and worldwide since the 15th century. For a few hundred years, it was also a highly coveted currency.

The Industrial Revolution, from 1760 until about 1840, was fueled by cotton and linked European textile factories to the plantations in the Americas. Mechanized spinning and weaving started in England in the mid-late 18th century. Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793, the real tipping point in the industry, making production much more efficient.

As industrial textile production grew, cotton fabrics became more available to the masses. Thanks to its softness, light weight, and durability, and to its increased affordability due to lower production costs, cotton has become the world’s favorite fiber.

The expansion of industrial farming made agriculture one of the most polluting industries

The increase in cotton demand called for more supply. The expansion of conventional industrial farming methods began in the ‘50s and required farms to get bigger and bigger to increase productivity, but, consequently, agricultural pollution also skyrocketed. Monocultures and mechanized equipment were favorites to increase efficiency.

These modern ways of growing cotton and other crops damage biodiversity and kill vital pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, bats, moths, beetles, and birds, negatively impacting overall crop and soil health and requiring farmers to use more pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides to keep production on pace. Conventional industrial agriculture has become one of the most polluting industries on the planet.

Bees pollinate an estimated 80% of crops, while the others take care of the rest. In many cases, native specialist pollinators that have adapted to local plant species are even more efficient than the more generalist honeybees. Monocultures, habitat loss, pesticides, and diseases have damaging effects on all pollinators. Around 40% of US bees and a third of EU bees die annually.

According to the Textile Exchange, in 2021, conventionally grown cotton still accounted for 69% of the market despite rising demand for organic cotton and other preferred fibers. In 2024, the percentage dropped to about 66%. Hence, cotton’s impact continues to be significant.

The interest in organic agriculture has risen, but how much organic cotton is there?

Over the last 20 years, organic agriculture has undergone a sort of renaissance. Despite its numerous environmental and social benefits, the uptake of organic cotton among farmers has been slow due to several issues: the three-year transition period, weeds, complex chain-of-custody requirements, yields, and fiber quality. Today, demand is far outpacing supply, making up only 1% of all the cotton produced globally in 2021 (about 2.9% in 2024). Along with premium prices, fake sustainability claims are all too commonplace in the organic cotton value chain. Likewise, many countries where it is grown have high levels of corruption and do not always comply with certification requirements. This brings the question to mind: “How much organic cotton is then genuinely organic?”